Providing a good study environment for your child at home involves eliminating distractions while making studying a team project.

Problem: Aside from “Get your homework done”, you really don’t know how to provide the best opportunity for educational success at home. Your child might be struggling in their work due to bad study habits at home.

Solution: Things have changed a lot since you were in school. Your only distractions when trying to get your homework done were the TV (less than 100 channels), the phone (probably attached to the wall), and the radio. Providing a good study environment for your child at home involves eliminating distractions while making studying a team project. Here are some ideas:

• The goal is understanding
• If they have to turn it off, you have to turn it off
• Praise or reward the effort, not the results
• Make good use of the agenda

The goal is understanding

The first goal is more of a mindset than an actionable step. Most of the time, homework seems like a meaningless trudge through the curriculum. Much of it doesn’t amount to much more than busy work to the busy, social student.

When discussing work that’s coming home, adopt the mindset that the purpose of the work is greater understanding of the topic, then make sure to refer to it as such when talking to your child. Even if you look at it and wonder why this work was assigned, don’t mention that to the student. You give them justification not to try their best.

Make good use of the agenda

No one expects you to email your child’s teachers every day asking for specifics about their homework. But a simple way to keep up with what’s coming home is to use an agenda. Many schools provide them for free. Make an agreement with the teacher that they will check to make sure the student has copied their work down correctly and that you will sign off after they finish what they were supposed to. Then, everyone stays on the same page.

If they have to turn it off, you have to turn it off

In the mind of your child, it’s not fair for you to be able to use your phone or watch TV while they are banned from using electronics during study time. Make studying and homework a group activity. If you’ve brought some work home yourself or studying for classes you might be taking, work on your respective tasks together under the same conditions. It’s an excellent way to model effective study skills.

Praise (or reward) the effort, not the results

Your child might have studied really hard for a test and still didn’t do as well as they would have liked. Things happen. If the effort was there, not much should be said about the results. Always focus on the work put in. And, if you’re working together like the tip above suggested, reward yourselves afterwards with a treat or a favorite show.

Praise efforts, not results.

Problem: We’ve entered the slog of the school year. The holidays are too far away, not to mention Spring Break or the end of the year. Right now, to some kids, school is a trudge through a swamp. There are struggles for almost every measure of progress, from waking up to doing their homework.

Solution: These struggles have been happening since the dawn of time. Cavepeople had trouble getting their children out of the cave to hunt buffalo. Solutions might not be quick, but they can be long lasting and set your child up for future success. They include:

• More open communication
• Praise effort, not results
• Realize some tasks are harder than others
• Model effort

More open communication

These days, communication with your child might consist of more yelling and anger than you would like. It’s a stressful time. But make even more of an effort than you normally do to open the lines of communication.

Through good conversation, you may find out that a reason for your child’s malaise might be a specific academic or social issue that is easily solved. “Struggling in math? No problem. We’ll get you some help.” Romantic issues might be more complicated…

Praise effort, not results

We are a results-oriented country. We reward success and ignore effort that comes without victory. That’s unfortunate because everyone fails sometime and it’s important to keep trying.

If your child is struggling at something, make sure you praise the work they put in to make themselves better, even if they aren’t currently experiencing success. Doing so will make them want to work more and harder. Do it enough and their self-talk will be more positive, even in the face of failure.

Realize some tasks are harder than others

Very few students are good at everything they touch. Teachers know this better than anyone does. Particularly, most students fall into being talented at math and the sciences or the humanities—not both. Understanding your child’s shortcomings, and accepting them, will go a long way toward smoothing the road.

Perhaps your child has struggled at writing since first grade. Why call them out for English grades that are worse than their math scores in middle school? Praise their effort, explain that you know English isn’t their strong suit, and offer help in whatever ways are possible.

Model effort

Finally, how do you expect your child to want to work hard when they see you hardly getting up off the couch? Everyone deserves some down time (especially if you can share it with your child), but you are your child’s model. Your effort around the house at night and during the weekend will rub off on them. In fact, enlist their help in tasks and work along with them side by side.

While they do their homework, you can do your homework.

Sometimes I feel like I’m the one who’s in school.

Every night, I have about half an hour’s worth of work from my daughter’s kindergarten teacher. There’s the reading log, the numerous forms, order sheets for fundraisers, and the active role I’ve taken in helping her with her own homework.

It’s ok because that’s the price of taking an active role in your child’s education and there’s no more important job. But there are many better things to do when you’re ready to go to bed than dig through a small child’s backpack. Here’s how manage the responsibilities and expectations placed on you by the teacher.

Do your work while they do theirs

It’s quite tempting to do other things while your child is doing their homework. Dinner needs to be started or laundry needs to be moved. You might even be able to fix yourself a drink and watch the news! Try to temper that temptation.

Parenting is all about modeling appropriate behaviors for your child. If you’re going to insist that they do their homework at a certain time, it can help to have you doing your work with them. They are also right there, easily available to clarify anything that comes in a note home.

Sign up for as many electronic updates as you can

These days, good teachers use a variety of tools to reach out to parents. Take advantage of all of them, even the PTA Facebook page that seems more like a swap meet and less of a meeting space.

The reason for this is simple: no matter how annoying all those texts and emails can be, it means there will be no surprises when things come home. Is it a notice about the bake sale that you heard about three days ago? Toss it. Has there been a case of lice and the principal is just now getting around to writing a letter to the parents? That can go, too. It will save you time at night, which is the goal.

Have your kid do it

I’m only halfway joking. Train your child to have everything filled out by the time you see it (but obviously not signed, if necessary). It’s a great way for younger kids to practice their pertinent information (addresses, phone numbers, etc.) and older kids should do it out of courtesy for you housing them their entire lives.

This might sound dangerous, but what’s the harm? This way, when you fish forms out of the bookbag, they’re already mostly done. If it’s something vital, sign it and put it back in the binder. If it’s an order form for cookies you’ve already bought online, toss it.